Love is Pain
by StormLongbottom
Summary: After getting off the island, Nathan goes to thank Eric. From there, a romance starts up. NathanXEric


Disclaimer: I do not own any character from Flight 29 Down. All that I own is the interpretation of things that happened while they were on the island. I do warn you that there are sexual scenes and if you are not of the age to read those, you probably shouldn't. But please enjoy.

Chapter Five: Love is Pain by Nathan McHugh

This part of my autobiography doesn't exactly fit into "My High School Career," but it feels important enough to add in as a separate chapter. This being said, I'll probably die of ridicule if this chapter ever leaks out into the general public.

After being rescued from our personal island paradise, the stories of our triumphs and failures made their way around this great city we live in. However, a lot of the adventure was brought to light out of context of the situation. Unless a person absolutely sat down with one of the ten of us surviving kids or even one of the seven of us that created a society that didn't last very long, the real story is only a mangled mess to you.

This is not a recount of how I saw my stay on the island.

For if I were to do that, it would be a much longer autobiography than any other student could even imagine to write up.

No. This is the story of what the island did to me. How it changed me. See, to me, the island was a place of self-discovery. A place where enemies by nature were forced to come together to be friends. How friends can sever, yet having such an experience means never being able to truly part from those relationships.

If you've been so fortunate to hear the stories of life on the island, you'll know that I fell into a love-trap with a Miss Daily. Again, you'll have heard about how she too dictated that we would only be friends outside of the island. This was when I first began to realize that love is pain.

However, it was in a most enlightened state that I realized the true success to my survival was in the person that saved my life when I was in the most desperate of situations. The plane had just rolled over onto my legs and I was stuck underneath it's crushing power. The tide was rushing in with the horrible force of the angry waters. Arriving out of the deepest of angers, there was Eric, ready to keep my safe from harm by resting my head on his legs. If it weren't for him, I would have died. And the strange part of it all is, moments before he saved me, I was so angry with him for doing an idiotic task out of his desires to be lazy.

So, arriving back, I came to realize that I hadn't yet thanked Eric for what he had done for me. That's when I decided that I would be a reborn civilized man and go over to his house and thank him properly.

At his house, everything was shattered. He was home alone, tear-stains under his eyes. For one who had always kept strong about his wits and emotional state on the island, this Eric was a fragile born-again-boy that needed pure comfort.

"What do you want, Nathan?" He huffed, trying to stay back in the dark so I couldn't see the distress he was in.

"I...uh...wanted to talk to you. There's something about being stranded I need to tell you that I can't believe I haven't yet."

"This isn't the time." He tried to back away and close the door.

I quickly put my arm out and pushed on the door to keep him from closing it. It wasn't hard, being that I had always been the strong one of the two of is in comparison.

"What happened?" I questioned.

A car started to pull into the drive.

"Quickly go to the very back room. That's my room. I'll explain it to you from there."

Like he commanded, I hustled back to his room. I felt like I was back to being a football player. The man. But not really because Eric was the man. Well, the man I was there for.

To my surprise, everything in Eric's room was immaculately clean. Everything had a place it belonged to. For such a lazy boy on the island, he sure was the king of his own domain here. Perhaps it was the only environment that he felt he could control.

I had entranced myself in a photograph of Eric at what looked like his own birthday party when he was maybe five or six. In the background, he parents looked so lovingly at each other. And Eric looked purely happy. Something I had never seen before. The trance was broken when the front door slammed and a man screamed out Eric's name.

"Y-y-yes sir," he replied hesitantly enough that I had to strain my ears to hear.

It pained my heart that a boy with such a motor-mouth on the island was so meek and timid in a place he should be prince of.

"That bitch is nowhere to be found!" The man roared, causing me to jump.

"D-did you ch-check the supermarket?"

Quiet.

"I knew I kept you around for something." Somehow the words felt more like a warning than anything else.

Again, the front door opened and shut, shaking all the other doors in the house.

Moments later, a quivering boy was standing in front of me. Someone I thought was truly a man was now here shaking like a rattlesnakes tail.

I took a breath as I prepared to embark upon my question. "What's going on?" I felt my eyes shifting back and forth rapidly as I searched Eric for answers.

In reply, he took his old straw hat off the wall and pulled it down over his eyes. He was too pained to let me see his pain.

"Nathan, what do you want?" He was turned away from me, but his voice was strong.

"I came with a message for you, from me, but now I feel something more important has arisen." I took a step toward him.

"Just..."

A sudden quiet filled the room.

"I don't need all the people in the world that hate me to fill me with the joys of life all in one night." His voice stank with sarcasm. The fun Eric was starting to come out.

"Does he hit you?" The question just popped out.

"Puh, ch. Like I'd let him put a hand on my moneymaker!" He turned around, face full of malice.

"Eric. I don't hate you." I was searching him again. Where was the boy I could read like a first grade novel? Simple had been his adjective on the island. Complex was the adjective that really described him.

Questions whirled in my head. Thoughts of Eric accusing Jackson of never wanting to leave the island. Had he had the same desires? Or did he really want to get off because he was afraid of dying there. Maybe...maybe he hated me...

"Coulda fooled me." He huffed and crossed his arms.

"Eric," I sighed. "You saved my life, idiot. I'm here to finally thank you for that."

"Idiot?" He turned and picked up a book from a nearby shelf. Either by Mark Twain or Charles Dickens. The cover fooled me. "You would think that. Of course, you don't know the real me. Didn't take the chance. Cahooting with Daily, Lex, and Melissa the whole time. Didn't have time for old Eric, did you?"

"What are you talking about here, exactly?" He was beginning to make my head spin.

He put the book back down. Had that been meant to be a sign? "Maybe you're the idiot, Nathan. No...not an idiot. That would be too easy. You're ignorant to what's right in front of you. Always stuck in concepts and ideas. Not hard facts."

When he took a step toward me, the crazed look in his eyes made me take a step back.

"What are you talking about?" I was still stepping back. The dresser hit my back and I knew I had nowhere else to go.

"You're welcome for me saving your life. You're head was there on my legs. Practically in my crotch. And before that. Daydreaming about Daily. Who was there watching you? You think it didn't pain me that you were there supporting Daily? When I was the one secretly watching you. I had no aversion to working. It was just working alone. Working without you. Maybe it was for the best that we didn't. A straight, straight-edge boy like you. How could you ever have feelings for a scheming creep like me." Eric's face melted and he fell into his bed on his back. "No one ever questioned why I wanted to leave. You all just assumed it was because I was sick of Daily's rules. Which isn't wrong. Just only part of the story. Puh...why am I even telling you? Hell, the only time I saw true passion from you to me was when you tackled me about a stupid chicken. No one could love this mess."

"Eric..." I gasped. What a speech delivery.

Eric propped himself up on his arms.

"It's okay. You can leave now."

"I don't think I should." My heart beat hard against my chest. My energy was high, like I was climbing the coconut tree all over again.

"I just gave you my E! True Hollywood Story. I'm a flaming faggot, Nathan. Just let me live in my misery hole. You can go back to your happy life and pretend not to know things are bad in the world. The rest of you are good at that."

Beside my better judgement, I took small steps, sliding closer and closer to Eric's bed.

"Eric...you don't have to be alone."

"I do." He gripped his blankets and pulled himself up a little.

"I'm here for you." I squatted down right in front of him. His eyes pierced right through mine as he looked down at me.

"Are you sure?"

I hid my quivering hands from him. By this point, I had no clue what was going on any longer. Everything was feeling like I was being mixed into a cake batter. "I want to."

"Be sure or be there for me?" He smirked. It was...gulp...was I thinking the word cute there?

I don't even like...boys.

But Eric.

Had.

Something.

About.

Him.

My body ached with fear.

"Both," I murmured, unable to control myself.

Eric grabbed my quivering hands and pulled me up. The yank lasted until I had roughly fallen right on top of him. Our two breathing patterns were rapid and mixing in a whirlwind between the two of us.

I was lost.

I no longer existed.

Eric no longer existed.

Only two pattering hearts beating beside one another existed.

Until I tasted something.

I hadn't seen it because my eyes had closed as Eric's face reached up into mine.

His lips were pressed against mine. His tongue had prodded into my mouth, exploring my pink tongue, white teeth, cheek edges, under the space of my tongue that just laid there lifelessly.

His hand was against the back of my head, pulling me into him. Down.

My tongue started to tango with his.

It was right.

No.

It was wrong.

What the bleep was I doing?

The pressure building in my pants snapped me into reality.

What control had this boy possessed over me?

If this was right, it was the wrong time. If this was wrong, it was not good at all.

I snapped my tongue back into my own mouth. Pulled my head out of his grasp. Scrambled to my feet. Stood in front of him, completely shaking. His eyes questioned me. I tried to say anything. But nothing came.

The front door slammed again.

Eric opened the window.

"You'll be leaving now." He weakly smiled.

"I love you, Nathan McHugh. I don't expect anything from you. Do what's best for you to do. Don't worry about me in this mess of pew." His words came as I was climbing out the window.

Again, I tried to speak back to him. But I couldn't.

This was wrong.

* * *

Over the next few days my mind reeled. The day after I searched everywhere for Eric. He was no where to be found. At lunch, I finally asked Melissa if she had seen him at all. She replied in the negative.

The day after that, I finally found Eric. He frowned at me. His face lit up, glowing. Then he frowned again. There was nothing I could say or do, so I quickly looked Eric over to see if he had any bruises or cuts. When I saw that he didn't, I turned around and headed down the closest wing. For someone I wanted to see so badly, suddenly not so much.

My world was suddenly in a place that I never expected it to go to. A bad bad place where I felt like a criminal, shackled to be publically accused. A new panic arose within me as I started to realize the boy with the biggest mouth in the school had a new power over me. He could tell everyone what I had done.

"What's wrong?" Daily asked beside me in hushed tones.

I shook my head out of the daze. My hair bounced back and forth, smacking me a little, helping to wake me up. "I just have to fix a mistake."

"I don't know if you can get your essay back." Daily lightly touched my arm from across the aisle. She retracted it when our teacher started to turn around.

"Not that," I hissed out of the side of my mouth.

The teacher peered out over his glasses.

"Daily, how does Lancelot's affair with Gwenever effect King Arthur's decisions?"

"Arthur loves both Lancelot and Gwenever deeply. So, he is very willing to overlook their love affair to keep them both safe and love them both just the same." Daily sounded like she was quoting from a dictionary.

"Would you like to expand on that, Nathan?"

I itched my arm. "Well. Love seems to be what destroys the kingdom completely. If Arthur would have been man enough to put a stop to it in the first place, he could have ruled much longer."

"Yeah, but," Melissa cut in, "if Arthur would have cut Lancelot and Gwenever out of his life completely like that, he might have been just as big of a tyrant as Mordrid wanted to be."

"That isn't in the text at all, Melissa." Abby started up, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. "You can't exactly just if this kind of stuff. See, it seems likely that Lancelot and Gwenever could have gotten away and lived off happy for the rest of their days. All Arthur seemed to want was for two people he truly loved to be happy, or else he would have put a stop to it."

Jory meekly put her hand up in the air.

"Yes, Jory?" The teacher mused.

"What exactly do we mean by love?" She asked and lowed her eyes down to the desk.

"Anyone want to dive into that question?"

Daily started again. "Love is very complex in this novel. While most people think love is something that ends up in some kind of passion, there are many other types of love."

"Such as?"

"Like loving this outfit?" Taylor stood up and posed.

A few people sighed.

"No." Melissa pursed her lips. "Lancelot and Gwenever were Arthur's prizes. They were his best friends. One was his left, the other his right."

Abby cut in again. "But being best friends doesn't make since with Gwenever being Arthur's wife."

"A wife should be a best friend as well, though," Jory piped up again.

"Then we have to question the fact that Gwenever never had an heir for Arthur. Who's fault was it? More than just sorcery. It seems there has to be something more to it." Daily smiled at me.

"What are you saying?" I asked.

"What if we aren't looking at the right love story?" Daily's blue eyes shined.

"Are you talking about Lancelot and Gwenever?" Melissa asked hesitantly.

"I believe she's talking about Arthur and Lancelot," the teacher cut into Melissa's question.

"Yes." Daily blushed lightly.

"Ideas on that?"

"Pffft!" Eric let out. "That's hardly the kind of love they had. There's no proof that they had any kind of romantic relationship between them."

"The other knights did often call Lancelot gay behind his back." Melissa pleaded.

"But that didn't mean he was gay with Arthur. Maybe there were feelings, but they didn't act on them. Not that it would matter anyway. Lancelot killed a person that loved him dearly."

"Huh?" Ian asked, looking back at Eric.

"Gareth loved Lancelot from very early on in his life." Eric fidgeted with his pencil, slightly looking up at me.

"Does that mean this whole book is gay-themed?" Jory asked.

"No." I answered. "These are all just theories. But it all brings me back to love destroying everything."

"Chu. You'd know about that, wouldn't you, Nathan?" Eric commented back.

"I've seen puppy-love make people crazy around me. We can't even figure out if these people really loved each other. How can we even learn anything about love from this?"

"Are you crazy, Nathan?" Daily yelled out at me. "Because I've seen you in that crazy for love."

"Puh! Haven't you been listening? Nathan doesn't know what love is. He didn't love you, Daily!" Eric narrowed his eyes and yanked on his shirt sleeves.

"Guys! I'm right here!"

"Like you know what love is, Eric!"

"Now—" The teacher tried.

Eric snorted. "Just because I didn't get all gaga-crazy-wild over someone like you let yourself get, cut him out for the best of a group, then smash his heart when he got back and hoped for you to keep loving him, doesn't mean I don't know what love is. I love harder than you can imagine right this second."

I turned around to see Eric looking anywhere but at me.

"It's not our place to judge whether or not someone has been in love." Melissa let her hair fall in our face.

"Good point, Melissa. But what about—"

"Who is this oh so mysterious love of yours, then?" Daily cut in.

"DAILY!" Abby screamed. Her eyes were rage-filled.

"Only the one I love knows. That's how said person wants to keep it." He sighed and crossed his arms. His straw hat slid down, concealing his face slightly. Obviously, he was finished.

The room fell silent.

"Let's talk about the title now. _Once and Future King_..."

* * *

That night I sat in my house thinking about the conversation we had had in class that day. It all washed over me. It scared me slightly. Eric was close to letting it all out because Daily had decided to pick that day to be insufferable. I couldn't risk Eric telling. But would it really look bad on me if I did.

Somehow, I needed to find a way to get these thoughts out of my head, without really taking them out of my head. There was only one person I knew would let me be vague. Melissa. So, I called her up.

"Nathan!"

"Hey Melissa," I said hesitantly. My palms sweated.

"What do you think about that crazy debate today?"

"Well...uh..." My heart was starting to speed up, wildly. "It was kinda weird."

"It's given me a lot to think about. I mean. I guess I never really thought about gay people all that much. Actually..." She paused. "I wouldn't mind knowing a gay person."

"I...Do you think it's bad to be..." I gulped. "Gay?"

"No way! I think that love is the most important thing in the world."

"What if someone loved you that you had never thought about loving back?" I wiped my hands on my pants and started to pace around.

"Um...Nathan. Jackson and I love each other very much."

"Hypothetically."

"I feel like I would know if someone loved me. It would be obvious. But I think I would be very pleased to have them love me." Melissa seemed very pensive about it.

"Would you date them if it felt wrong?" I pulled back the curtains to see the rain outside falling down.

"Depends on why it felt wrong."

There was a silence on the phone.

"Nathan, what's going on?"

I sighed. "Someone...told me they loved me...and...we kissed...and...I just don't know."

"You need to just sit down, think if you might have had feelings for this someone, and if so, go tell this someone you love them back. Don't let yourself be afraid that Daily will happen all over again."

Soon, I hung up with Melissa and laid down on my bed. I wretched up inside.

* * *

Rain dripped from my hair, down my face, and completely drenched me as I waited for Eric to answer his door. A small light slipped out from behind the door as it opened. When Eric saw me, his expression went from sad to a pleading excitement.

He crossed his arms, and leaned up against the doorway. "What do you want Nathan?"

"You," I whispered, fidgeting with my fingers. Becoming very brave, I put my hands on his shoulders and pulled him close to me. He too was starting to get wet. Our faces were about an inch away from each other. His eyes sparkled with desire and love. He really did love me. Knowing that, I leaned in and kissed him, tilting my head every so slightly. Perfect angle.

I was parting my lips to allow Eric's tongue passage into my mouth, when he suddenly stopped and pulled away.

"We can't do this—"

"Eric! What the—"

He put a hand on my chest. "Here! We can't do this here! Dad will be home any minute."

"I'll take you to my house, then. My parents are out." The rain was giving me chills as I waited for a response.

His head bowed down, slightly, then he lifted it back up. Next, he nodded. "Yes."

Before I knew it. The two of us were in my car, still sopping wet. I left one hand on the wheel, and put the other on his knee. I tried my hardest to not let him feel my shaking. A slight pressure fell on my shoulder as Eric's head rested on it. His eyes were shut. There was a peaceful look on his face. I willed myself to keep my eyes on the road, but I took the liberty of taking a few glances at this rapidly growing wild beauty that wasn't close enough to me in the car. One glance gave me the serenity of seeing a lovely small smile develop on his sweet, red lips. As beautifully red as his shirt. Bright and pure. To kiss those lips seemed very devine. How could I not be falling in love with him? Actually, I had already been falling in love with him. But the question was when did it start? Maybe it was when he saved my life. And now, maybe I was starting to truly feel it.

"Nathan?" His lips lightly parted as his angelic voice let out my name.

"Eric?" I asked, glancing at him, his blue eyes seeing through me once again.

"I really do love you." He lightly licked his luscious lips. His tongue was pink, reminding me of the cute sweet hearts that say darling little things.

My breath caught up inside of my throat long enough for me to notice the sound of the rain hitting the roof of my car. "I love you too, Eric. I just didn't know."

He snuggled up on my shoulder, rubbing his head back and forth, as I pulled up in my driveway. The house was as dark as I had left it. It made me a little nervous. I was about to let a boy—wow, a boy—I loved see my inner sanctum.

Eric lifted his head up from my shoulder as I stopped and turned off the car. "We here?"

"Yeah."

He marveled at my house. It was a bit bigger than his. "Whoa," he let out.

I got out of the car and grabbed Eric's hand I led him down the path. The rain had slowed quite a bit. When we reached the door, I put my key in the door and unlocked it.

We went into my house, Eric right on my heels. I tried to ignore Eric scrutinizing every inch of my house as I led him up the stairs. My heart thumped wildly as I turned the doorknob to my room. Remembering that Eric had just sent me to his room at his house made me think that it wouldn't be a problem letting him into my room.

In my room, Eric dripped on my overpriced rug. I went into the bathroom and got a towel. "Wanna dry up?" I asked.

"Sure." Eric had a funny expression on his face. He rubbed his arm with his other hand.

I threw the towel at him, ringing it on his head. He quickly gabbed it with both hands and ran it over his head. Then he took his shirt off and rubbed it down his body. By taking one foot and placing it on the back of the other shoe, he slipped the first one off, then repeated. After lifting his feet off the ground one by one and removing his socks, visions of us being so close to one another sharing a tent together surrounded me. What we could have done back then. Hell, what we could do now.

A sly look appeared on Eric's face as he took steps toward me.

"What?" My face steamed up.

"You're all wet too."

He took the towel from his shoulder and started to dry my hair. After a moment, he stopped and dropped his arms down. His bare foot squashed down on my wood floor, tapping against the floor, waiting on something.

"What now?" I asked.

"Hh. Your shirt." A smirk smothered his face. Island Eric was back.

I pulled at the hem of my shirt. Some water rung out on the floor. I was hesitant to lift my shirt up, but I slowly started. Eric's eyes were wildly scanning my torso. My shirt caught on my hair for a moment. Just long enough that Eric's hand running over my small patch of chest hair caused me to jump. I quickly pulled my shirt off the rest of the way and tossed it to the side. It sloshed down on the floor.

My arms made their way around Eric's middle. With my hands on his back, I pulled him in closer to me. I slightly rubbed his back. It shocked me how smooth his back was. His hand continued to rub my chest as our lips met again. I opened my mouth slightly, trying to allow his tongue access to my mouth yet again. This time, he took it. His tongue slithered into my mouth. Together, they wrestled around with each other heatedly.

My eyes being closed, I only felt Eric's hands moving down my chest and belly. He pulled his head away as he started to pull on my belt.

"Eric," I whispered; my voice quivering. Could I let him do what he was about to do?

*Dearest English teacher: You may want to not read the rest of this section, it gets a little racy, but if you wish to, you can.*

Despite my protest, of sorts, Eric kept pulling on my belt. It clinked as it came undone. All in all, I couldn't be more afraid of what was about to happen.

My pants button suddenly came unbuttoned. Eric had a dangerous look in his eyes. He was ready for this night. I could be brave enough for him. I was sure about it. While I was lost in thought, he was pushing me back toward my bed.

Zip. My zipper was opened and my cock was hardening rapidly. He pulled my pants down to my ankles, exposing my Hanes boxer-briefs, colored red, ironically enough. My knees started to buckle, so I sat down on the bed. The beauty of a boy—something I missed before, but was seeing as if I suddenly had twenty-twenty vision—was on his knees, eyes looking up at my face, but mouth opening ever so slightly. His head moved toward my crotch. My eyes closed. His mouth closed over the fabric covering my still-lengthen penis. If my underwear hadn't already been wet, they would be soaked by that point. I opened my eyes to see Eric's hands at the elastic bands of my underwear. He pulled them down, exposing my extremely throbbing cock. I laid back on the bed and lifted my ass up, so he could pull them all the way down. At the same time, I flipped my shoes off. Eric rose up on the bed and scooped my mouth up in his. My mouth quivered as he pulled away. Before I could fret too much, he was kissing at my neck, which was such a new sensation for me, that I grabbed onto the only thing that was near me, his ass. It was soft and bubbly, reminding me of squeezing a teddy bear. He moaned against my neck. Suddenly, I could feel his hardened penis against my thigh.

Soon after, Eric traveled his kissing lips down my chest, onto my nipples, down my body, and back down to my throbbing member. His mouth encircled my penis. He sucked and rippled up and down. His tongue moved around, licking my cock like a lollipop.

When I was about to let go of all I had been able to handle, he stopped. Eric came back up to my ear again. He whispered, "I want you in me."

I raised myself up on my elbows and forearms and asked, "what?"

"I want your cock in my ass." A mischievous grin popped up on his face again.

I blushed. "Sure," I managed to say.

Eric licked his lips. He reached over to my nearby table and picked up my lotion. When he stood up completely, I could see the outline of his penis through his jeans. It wasn't as big as mine, but it was pretty big in its own right. Maybe six and half or seven. He quickly took his pants and boxers off in one swipe, showing all that he had. His private area was completely shaved of pubes, which came as a shock to me.

With the lotion bottle in his hand, he walked the step back over to my bed and opened the cap. He put out his hand and squirted the milky, white liquid in his palm. That hand was soon rubbing against my penis, getting it all lubed up. Then he rubbed that same hand along his ass. I wished I could have watched him do that. I'm sure his ass was amazingly perfect-looking as it was feeling.

Eric moved my body to where I was fully outstretched the length of my bed. He stepped up on the bed, put his leg over my body and squatted down over my middle area. Falling down to his knees, he picked my penis up and slowly started sitting on it. I let out a swift breath as the head entered into Eric's anus. Slowly, my penis disappeared into Eric's ass. He leaned back when my full length was inside of him, closing his eyes, and breathing out in ecstasy. Grinding up and down, Eric made me feel amazing. He looked as happy as he had in that old picture of him as a kid.

Thought had left me all together. My hands rushed over to Eric's thighs. I groped at them. He moaned a little louder. Pulling forward a little, my hands were lead toward his balls. I fidgeted with them for a bit. Then, I made a daring move to play with his cock. I rubbed up and down on his shaft. It was amazing. I was used to yanking my own tool, but playing with Eric's was so much more new and exciting that I started to ram my own cock up his ass as hard as I could.

Before I could think any better of it, I lifted Eric up a little, along with my own body, and I brought the tip of his cock up into my mouth and sucked on it, while I continued to screw his mangina. He had a lot of sort swift breaths pop out.

"Nathan."

"I."

"Fucking."

Pant. Pant.

"Love."

"You."

Long breaths.

"Your."

"Cock is."

"AMAZING!"

He pulled his cock out of my mouth and jizzed all over my face and chest. That alone was enough to make me cum in his ass. "AHHHHHHH!" I screamed out when I came.

Eric pulled out and fell onto my chest. His arm reached over and gabbed the towel and wiped me clean. We kissed for an amazingly short hour or so. I started to fall asleep, but I know for certain that he kissed me until the morning light.

We were both asleep, still naked in the bed, when my parents came home.

They knocked on the door.

"Nathan!" They yelled through.

Holy crap. What was I supposed to do? I quickly put some shorts on.

"Eric, can you go into the bathroom to hide?"

Another impatient knock on the door gave me little time to plead. But Eric quickly did as I asked.

I quickly got my parents to go away, saying that I had been up late with Melissa trying to work on a project and was still totally wiped.

When they went away, I got Eric. We crawled back into bed.

"I'll love you for eternity," Eric whispered and kissed the end of my nose.

"I'd give the universe to keep our love," I responded and kissed his lips.

He rolled over on his side, and I wrapped my arms around him, cuddling him.

Again, we fell asleep together.

* * *

*A good spot for dearest teacher to come back if you went away!*

A note slipped out of my locker when I opened it Monday morning. I picked it up and read over it. It said.

_My Universe,_

_You are my sweetest downfall. I loved you first. I have to go. I have to go. Loving you isn't something that can be so. I'm moving with my mom to New York. But I will always keep loving you. But you know I need to get away from my father. All my love._

_-You eternity_

That's the last I've heard from Eric. I still hope we'll see each other again, one day. But I've just come to realize that love is pain. Maybe in my future section, I'll talk more about how love may one day not be pain. But the future is hard to see.

Daily.

Eric.

Why?

I never really loved Daily.

But I'm still completely in love with Eric.

The sound of rain on the roof of my car haunts me in my sleep. The color red makes me go a little crazy inside. Then I remind myself that it's good for Eric to be happy. Even if I'm not.


End file.
